Category: Who Gives A Rat’s Ass

Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher wed: reports
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were married on Saturday, capping their celebrated two-year-long older woman, younger man relationship, two celebrity magazines reported on Sunday.
Representatives for Kutcher, 27, and Moore, 42, could not be immediately reached for comment, but both Us Weekly and People magazine reported on their Web sites that the couple were married in Los Angeles area on Saturday.
Us Weekly, which first reported the wedding, said about 100 of the couple’s friends, including Moore’s second husband Bruce Willis, attended it. Also at the wedding were actress Lucy Liu and Moore’s three daughters from her marriage to Willis.
Moore, who starred in “Ghost,” “G.I. Jane” and “Striptease,” first began dating the younger Kutcher in 2003, just as she was making a highly publicized return to the screen as a high-kicking villain in “Charlie’s Angeles: Full Throttle.”
Kutcher, whose break came as a star in television’s “That ’70s Show,” is co-creator of the MTV reality show “Punk’d.” His films include “Guess Who” in 2005 and “Dude, Where’s My Car?” in 2000.
It was the first marriage for Kutcher and third for Moore. She was married from 1980 to 1984 to rock musician Freddie Moore and from 1987 to 2000 to Willis.
People Magazine said Kutcher and Moore met at a dinner in New York City in 2003. After Kutcher began dating Moore, the magazine said “he quickly carved out a place in the lives of her three daughters by Willis — Rumer, 17; Scout, 14; and Tallulah, 11 –who came to embrace Kutcher as a third parent, affectionately calling him MOD, short for ‘My Other Dad.”‘
The relationship between Moore and Kutcher has been seen by some in Hollywood as evidence of a liberating new trend in which older American women are dating younger men, challenging the traditional convention of May-December romances.

Monaco, O’Hurley: “Dancing” Rematch!
Not only can controversy be good for business, sometimes it can inspire a two-part special.
Kelly Monaco and John O’Hurley will return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom for a so-called “dance-off” on Sept. 20, ABC announced Thursday. The results, based solely on viewer voting, will be announced in a Sept. 22 telecast.
Monaco, the daytime soap star, took the first round against O’Hurley, the former Seinfeld player, back on July 6 when she and professional dance partner Alec Mazo were named champs of the six-week made-for-TV contest.
Coming in the wake of early shaky efforts, Monaco’s win was greeted with suspicion by O’Hurley die-hards who thought the show’s elder statesman had samba-d circles around the competition with the help of partner Charlotte Jorgensen. One conspiracy theory had ABC plotting to put Monaco on top in the name of corporate synergy–the actress’ day job is on the network’s General Hospital.
At the Television Critics Association press tour last month, ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson told reporters the network was considering a Monaco-O’Hurley rematch. To the exec, a show returning the two rivals to the dance floor was a “great idea,” not an admission that funny business had marred the initial results.
“The voting was not fixed whatsoever,” McPherson said.
The newly sure-footed Monaco, meanwhile, refused to be tripped up by talk that she didn’t earn her victory, and welcomed a rematch.
“Bring it on,” the actress said at the ABC press conference last month. “You want a dance-off, come on up here. I’ll give you a dance-off.”
And so the dance-off: The Monaco and O’Hurley teams will compete in Latin, ballroom and freestyle. The 90-minute special will be filled out with “dance demonstrations” by: Ashly Delgrosso, Joey McIntyre’s former partner; Jonathan Roberts, Rachel Hunter’s ringer; Edyta Sliwinska, survivor of Evander Holyfield’s moves; and, Louis van Amstel, Trista Sutter’s harsh taskmaster.
The results show, airing two nights later, will be kept to a relatively spare 30 minutes.
No decision has been made as to whether a separate results show will be part of Dancing with the Stars’ second season. And, no, no decision has been made as to when Dancing with the Stars’ second season will launch.
In its inaugural run, summer’s biggest TV hit aired once a week, for six consecutive weeks, starting June 1. One dance team was eliminated at the end of each episode, except the first episode, on account of no team got eliminated until a lousy performance was at least one week old. (The logistics and math made a bit, but not a lot, more sense as the series played out.)
While Dancing’s trio of judges will be on hand for next month’s dance-off, they’ll only serve as sideline observers, a la the Simon-Paula-Randy troika on American Idol. The Monaco-O’Hurley winner be determined by audience-generated online and phone voting.
Results will be final. Presumably until the next dance-off.

DAYTIME TO DVD
Oprah Winfrey releasing a 20th anniversary DVD in November featuring highlights from two decades of The Oprah Winfrey Show, per the Hollywood Reporter.

‘American Idol’ Contestants Face Off
NEW YORK – Long-locked Alabama rocker Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood, the country fan from Oklahoma, squared off with soaring ballads and gospel choirs in the “American Idol” finals Tuesday.
Millions of voters will decide whether Bice’s audacious claim of one of Underwood’s songs will trump Simon Cowell’s last-minute endorsement of her.
The winner of the nation’s most popular talent contest will be announced on Fox Wednesday.
Bice, from Helena, Ala., wanted to bring some rock ‘n’ roll street cred to the competition. He looked every bit the hippie with his flowing white shirt, red sunglasses and shoulder-length hair on his opening song, an original called “The Long Long Road.”
It almost backfired. Cowell called it a “very dreary song” and said Bice, 29, looked like his chemistry teacher.
“You’re going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that to walk away with this title,” he said.
He rebounded with a more rousing Chicago number and later sang “Inside Your Heaven,” a song Underwood had performed only minutes earlier. It was a gutsy choice, giving voters a chance to compare him directly with his competitor on the same song.
Judge Randy Jackson declared Bice “forever in my dog pound” and Cowell thought he outsang Underwood.
Underwood, a 22-year-old college senior from Checotah, Okla., has made plain her love of country music and sang Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” among her final three songs.
Easy-to-please judge Paula Abdul liked √≥ we think √≥ her version of “Inside Your Heaven.”
“You sang the song beautifully,” she said. “You hit a couple of not-so-great notes, but who cares?”
Her final song, “Angels Brought Me Here,” was made for belting out and Underwood let fly. Her voice cracked with emotion during the final few notes.
“I think you’ve done enough to win this competition,” Cowell said.
A victory means a guaranteed recording contract. But as Clay Aiken found out, losing doesn’t have to mean obscurity.
One sure winner will be Fox. The finale ó on the last day of the television season ó is likely to guarantee the network its first-ever ratings championship among 18-to-49-year-old viewers.

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner Said Engaged
NEW YORK – Call it Bennifer: Part Deux. Nine months after they started dating, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are engaged, People and Star magazines are reporting.
Citing a “close friend” of Affleck’s, People says the “Pearl Harbor” actor has been privately spreading the news. A friend of Garner’s told the magazine in February that she expected Affleck to propose.
Affleck’s publicist, Ken Sunshine, would not comment on the reports. A call to Garner’s rep was not returned.
As you may have heard, Affleck got engaged to Jennifer Lopez in 2002, but they called it off in January 2004. As opposed to the ridiculous amount of publicity Affleck got with J.Lo, he and Garner have stayed on the down low.
They met while shooting the action flick “Daredevil,” but didn’t begin dating until 2004. Their lone public appearance together has been a trip to the 2004 World Series in Boston.
The marriage would be Garner’s second. The 33-year-old “Alias” star was divorced from actor Scott Foley in March 2004.

Backstreet Boys set to return with new song on March 18
(CP) – The Backstreet Boys were eager to show the paparazzi they were back together, appearing at parties and red carpets throughout Grammy weekend.
The quintet has just completed a CD, set for release in late spring. One of the new songs will hit radio on March 18, said member Kevin Richardson.
“We’re all excited again,” he said. “We just needed a break to recharge our batteries and step back and absorb it all, and realize what happened to us over the last 10 years.”
The so-called Boys have grown considerably since their reign of the teen world. AJ McLean has overcome his alcohol and drug addictions, and Brian Littrell has a new baby, said Richardson.
Boy bands have gone out of flavour so it will be a challenge for the singing group to find a place in the current market, especially since most of their teen fans have moved on to other types of music.
Richardson said other “boys” have managed to stay the course and so will they.
“You still have the Beach Boys and the Beastie Boys,” quipped Richardson.
Thankfully, he admitted the crew will be leaving their aerobic dance moves behind.
“We’re practising what they call ‘dancing without dancing’ right now,” he explained.

‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Breaks Earnings Record
NEW YORK – Quiz-show king Ken Jennings has broken another record on “Jeopardy!” He won $45,099 on the episode that aired Wednesday, bringing his total earnings to $2,197,000 to make him the top TV game-show winner ever.
He beat the previous record of $2,180,000, set by Michigan engineer Kevin Olmstead on ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” in 2001.
Jennings, a 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City, began his 66-appearances-and-counting streak on the episode that aired June 2. Since then, he has richly profited from a rule change made only last year, at the start of the syndicated game show’s 20th season, that removed its five-appearance limit. Now a contestant can continue playing as long as he wins.
On the “Jeopardy!” episode that aired Sept. 15, Jennings broke the record for longest winning streak on any television game show.
Where might it all stop? No one’s confirmed it, but TV Week reported in September that Jennings lost after his 75th straight win, amassing a total of about $2.5 million. “Jeopardy!” episodes are taped in advance.
During the streak, Jennings has appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” presented a Top Ten list on “Late Show with David Letterman,” and been a “Person of the Week” on ABC’s “World News Tonight.”
He has defeated 130 challengers and given more than 2,000 correct responses, including Wednesday’s Final Jeopardy question, for which the clue was: “This king was the great-grandfather of France’s King Louis XV.”
Jennings sweetened his day’s total take by $7,499 with his reply: “Who is Louis XIV?”
Besting Olmstead’s record had been Jennings’ goal “for a while,” he told host Alex Trebek, adding, “I actually know Dr. Olmstead a little bit, and he’s been very supportive.”

Spears Says She Wants to Be Britney Federline
BERLIN (Reuters) – American pop star Britney Spears said on Wednesday she wants to change her name after marrying 26-year-old dancer Kevin Federline last month.
“I probably will, Britney Federline, I like that,” Spears, 22, told Germany’s Bunte magazine. “Society probably won’t allow me but I would like to change it.”
Spears, who has sold more than 60 million albums since she shot to fame in 1999, became the first female performer in the history of Billboard magazine to have her first three albums open at No. 1 on the pop album chart.
The star who earlier this year married a former high school sweetheart in Las Vegas before having that marriage annulled three days later also told Bunte she hopes to start having children soon.
“There are a few things I want to take care of this year before I have my baby,” she said.
“I’d love to have a baby already. But I’ve got to take care of some things first … I want to become a mother. I’m crazy about children … next year, when I’m 23 I’ll be ready.”

Lindsay Lohan Wins 4 Teen Choice Awards
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – Lindsay Lohan, who turned 18 last month, collected a leading four awards Sunday night at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards held at the Universal Amphitheater.
Lohan won awards for best movie actress in a comedy, best movie hissy fit and best movie blush for her part in the hit film “Mean Girls.” She also collected the award for movie breakout star actress for her work in both “Mean Girls” and “Freaky Friday.”
The awards show was hosted by Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, while musical guests included Blink-182, Ashlee Simpson, Lenny Kravitz and JoJo. The show will be broadcast Wednesday on Fox.
Here is a complete list of winners of the 2004 Teen Choice Awards:
Movies:
Date Movie: “50 First Dates.”
Movie, Comedy: “Shrek 2.”
Movie Actor, Comedy: Adam Sandler, “50 First Dates.”
Movie Thriller: “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Movie Actress, Comedy: Lindsay Lohan.
Movie Actress, Drama/Adventure: Halle Berry, “Gothika.”
Movie Hissy Fit: Lindsay Lohan, “Mean Girls.”
Movie Blush: Lindsay Lohan, “Mean Girls.”
Movie Sleazebag: Seann William Scott, “American Wedding.”
Movie Breakout Star Actress: Lindsay Lohan, “Mean Girls,” “Freaky Friday.”
Movie Your Parents Didn’t Want You to See: “American Wedding.”
Television:
TV Show, Drama/Action Adventure, “The O.C.”
TV, Reality/Variety: “Punk’d.”
TV Show, Late Night: “Saturday Night Live.”
TV Breakout Show: “The O.C.”
TV Actress, Drama/Adventure: Jennifer Garner, “Alias.”
TV Actor, Drama/Adventure: Adam Brody, “The O.C.”
TV Sidekick: Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace.”
TV Personality: Ashton Kutcher.
TV Breakout Star, Female: Mischa Barton, “The O.C.”
TV Breakout Star, Male: Chad Michael Murray, “One Tree Hill.”
Reality/Variety TV Star: Ashton Kutcher, “Punk’d.”
Reality/Variety Jackass: Simon Cowell, “American Idol.”
Music:
Single: “Toxic,” Britney Spears.
Album: “Confessions,” Usher.
R&B Artist: Usher.
R&B Track: “Yeah,” Usher with Ludacris and Lil Jon.
Love Song: “I Miss You,” Blink-182.
Hook Up: “Yeah,” Usher with Ludacris and Lil Jon.
Tour of the Year: No Doubt and Blink-182.
Song of the Summer: “Pieces of Me,” Ashlee Simpson.
Additional Awards:
Ultimate Choice Award: Mike Myers.
Courage Award: Bethany Hamilton.
Male Athlete: Tony Hawk.
Female Athlete: Mia Hamm.
Comedian: Adam Sandler.
Fresh Face: Ashlee Simpson.

Canada’s Walk of Fame develops cachet as stars appear for 2004 inductions
TORONTO (CP) – They cried “Mario! Mario! Mario!”
And they sang “Born to Be Wild!”
But mostly and loudly they chanted “Jim, we love you!”
A thousand screaming fans outside Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on Wednesday night belied the ongoing concern that there’s no star system in Canada.
They waited for hours in bleachers alongside the red carpet for the official arrivals of this year’s inductees into Canada’s Walk of Fame, an event that included the official unveiling of the latest sidewalk plaques as well as a gala variety show telecast live on TV.
Jim Carrey’s limousine was the last to arrive and he didn’t disappoint, dashing along a fenceline shaking hands and signing autographs for the delirious hometown fans.
“When I come back here, I always get that same feeling, that feeling of lightness and the feeling of home and I’m so glad to finally get a chance to say to the Canadian people how much they mean to me and how wonderful the whole trip has been,” he said to the crowd. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
And naturally Carrey didn’t just unveil his plaque. He yanked the cover off with the flourish of a matador and then sat atop it, his legs spread apart while his family flanked him for the photographers.
“It’s the whole DNA strain!” he shouted with a laugh.
NHL superstar Mario Lemieux had his own cheering section, many sporting Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys.
“Obviously it’s a great honour,” Lemieux said. “I had a chance to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame a few years ago but this is very special.”
The arrival of rocker and founder of Steppenwolf, John Kay, was greeted by an impromptu version of Born to be Wild, a rock anthem made legend by the band. Dressed in black and accompanied by his official presenter, old friend Peter Fonda, Kay injected politics into the affair when he told reporters that if the governing Liberals have dropped the ball, Canadian voters shouldn’t punish them by voting them out of office.
“Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by electing those who do not represent your views. Re-elect the ones who theoretically do represent your views and then hold THEIR feet to the fire.”
Kay said in his world travels he’s found Canadians are viewed as peacemakers and the nation as one with enlightened leadership.
“And when you have a somewhat belligerent neighbour next to you, that’s not always easy.”
He added that regime change may be at hand soon in the U.S., though.
Fonda said his mother was Canadian and wondered jokingly if he could have a piece of one of the Walk of Fame stars because he wanted to be a part of Canada.
Actor and social activist Shirley Douglas said it was important that events like the Walk of Fame encourage Canadian talent.
“I would say to any young actor tonight ‘If you see me, believe me you can do the same thing. All you have to do is believe that you want to do it and if you truly want to do it, it will happen.
“Work at it and you’ll get here.”‘
Actor-director Helen Shaver said she was proud of such an incredible honour.
“I remember when we used to say there are no stars in Canada, and here we are and there are so many stars that we have to scatter them on the sidewalk. It’s fabulous!”
The other living inductees included jazz performer Diana Krall who, like Fonda, wore faded jeans on the bottom half of formal attire, and director Denys Arcand.
And there were posthumous inductions for four pioneers of Hollywood who had Canadian roots: studio bosses Jack Warner and Louis B. Mayer, producer Mack Sennett and silent screen star Mary Pickford.
Filmmaker Norman Jewison was on hand to help with the tribute to the so-called Canadian Connection. He said it’s a much bigger event than the debut year in 1998 when he got his star.
“There was 30 people, a cop and my sister, that’s who was here,” he quipped. “We’re growing up and we’re starting to embrace success which is what we should do.”
In an unusual and even daring move, unpredictable shock comic and MTV personality Tom Green served as emcee for the gala. The list of presenters included directors Jewison and David Cronenberg, film producer Robert Lantos and actors Peter Fonda and Fiona Reid.